Healthcare costs are on the rise. This is due in part to payment for services and/or goods that were not actually provided. It is not uncommon for payment of medical services to be paid, at least in part, by a third party other than the patient (e.g., health insurance company, government provider such as Medicare or Medicaid). Often, the third party provides payment in accordance with an invoice listing the services/goods provided. On occasions, the invoice may not be accurate.
A patient typically receives, after medical services have been provided, an invoice comprising an itemized list of the services/goods. For example, when a patient visits a physician for treatment, upon completion of the visit, the patient is provided an itemized invoice which should properly itemize services rendered. At times however, the itemized services do not accurately reflect the services rendered and/or goods (e.g., medications) provided. For a variety of reasons, inaccuracies may go unnoticed and/or uncorrected. A patient may not pay attention to the invoice, for example, because the patient is not responsible for paying the entire bill. The patient may not understand the codes and/or terminology used to describe the services. Or, the patient may not look at the invoice until well after leaving the physician's office. At his point, the patient may feel it is too late to correct any inaccuracies, or not remember what services/goods were provided. Thus, it is not uncommon for an inaccurate invoice, prebill, bill, charge ticket, or the like to be submitted for payment. The lack of success to date in verifying the accuracy of invoices (e.g., by the paying party) or to correct found inaccuracies have had detrimental effects upon the cost of health care.